"Ferry Cross the Mersey" (sometimes written Ferry 'Cross the Mersey) is a song written by Gerry Marsden. It was first recorded by his band Gerry and the Pacemakers and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number six in the United States[2] and number eight in the UK.[3] The song is from the film with the same name and was released on its soundtrack album. In the mid-1990s a musical theatre production also titled Ferry Cross the Mersey related Gerry Marsden's Merseybeat days; it premiered in Liverpool and played in the UK, Australia, and Canada.
Contents[]
[hide] *1 Song title and lyrics
- 2 Chart performance
- 3 Charity record for The Hillsborough Disaster Fund
- 4 Other cover versions
- 5 References
Song title and lyrics[edit][]
[1] | This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012) |
[2][3]MV Royal Daffodil atSeacombe Pier
"Mersey" refers to the River Mersey in northwest England, a river that flows into the Irish Sea at Liverpool.
The song is often misspelled as "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey", but according to the song's lyrics, the track is correctly titled "Ferry Cross the Mersey". "Cross" is not a contraction of "Across" but an imperative - "Ferry, cross The Mersey." The Mersey Ferry runs between Liverpool and Birkenhead and Seacombe on the Wirral.
Chart performance[edit][]
Chart (1965) | Peak
position |
---|---|
UK Singles Chart[3] | 8 |
US Billboard Hot 100[2] | 6 |
Charity record for The Hillsborough Disaster Fund[edit][]
In May 1989, a charity version of "Ferry Cross the Mersey" was released in aid of those affected by the Hillsborough disaster, which claimed the lives of 95 Liverpool fans the previous month (a 96th died in 1993 as a consequence of that disaster). The song was recorded by Liverpool artists The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and Stock Aitken Waterman. The single held the #1 spot in the UK chart for three weeks.[4]
Chart performance[edit][]
Chart (1989) | Peak
position |
---|---|
UK Singles Chart[4] | 1 |
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[5] | 45 |
Austrian Singles Chart[6] | 15 |
Dutch GfK chart[7] | 21 |
Dutch Top 40[8] | 20 |
German Singles Chart[9] | 5 |
Irish Singles Chart[10] | 1 |
Norwegian Singles Chart[11] | 4 |
Swiss Singles Chart[12] | 11 |
Preceded by | UK number-one single
20 May 1989[4] (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by |
Ireland number-one single
18 May 1989[14] (2 weeks) |
Succeeded by
"Heart & Soul" by No Sweat[14] |
Other cover versions[edit][]
[4] | This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012) |
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood recorded a cover of "Ferry Cross the Mersey" for the B-side of the 12-inch single "Relax", released in October 1983.[16] This was subsequently included on their albumWelcome to the Pleasuredome (1984) and later compilations Bang!... The Greatest Hits of Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1993) and Maximum Joy (2000).
- Also in 1983 the Norwegian group Vazelina Bilopphøggers recorded a cover of "Ferry Cross the Mersey" in a Norwegian dialect, called "Ferje over Mjøsa", for the album På tur.
- Canadian popular musician Burton Cummings (of The Guess Who) recorded a solo version on his 1997 live album "Up Close and Alone."
- In 2003, Pat Metheny included an instrumental cover of this song on his acoustic album One Quiet Night.
- In 2008 Norwegian band Farmers Market recorded a Bulgarian version, titled "Lodtschitze Mini Maritza", for the album Surfin' USSR.